Tehran, 14 Shafar 1434/27 December 2012 (FNA/MINA) – Indonesian Ambassador to Tehran Dian Wirengjurit voiced his country’s concern about the United States’ arrogant meddling in Southeast Asia, and warned that Washington’s interference only adds to the problems of this region.

The Indonesian envoy told Fars News Agency (FNA) on Wednesday that his government believes that countries of Southeast Asia, which are involved in territorial disputes, can resolve their own problems by themselves, and the US presence in the region is only deteriorating their problems.

“The US meddling does not solve territorial disputes in this region; to the opposite, the presence of a foreign power intensifies the tensions,” Dian said.

Dian further noted that the claims made by South China Sea littoral states on some parts of the sea have pushed China and Taiwan to raise similar territorial claims on the same regions, adding that this has incited the US, the main rival of China, to meddle with the affairs of this region.

Tensions over the South China Sea and a separate dispute in the East China Sea overshadowed economic and trade issues at the East Asia Summit in Cambodia last month.

The long-running row over the South China Sea, which involves China, Taiwan and four ASEAN members, has become increasingly fraught in the last few years.

China claims almost all the sea but other countries say they own parts of it. The waters are rich in energy resources and fisheries and an estimated $5 trillion of cargo, half the world’s shipping by weight, passes through them each year. (T/R-011/R-006)